Encouragement matters.

When you see something good, or see someone using their talents or gifts for the good of others, please show these people some love by letting them know.

And I don’t just mean saying, “Good job!”

Anyone can say that – whether they experienced something good or not.

No. To make encouragement meaningful (and believable), specify what was good about what you experienced. Tell the person

1. How it impacted you
2. What specifically you liked or what specifically moved you

You may not realize this, but there are a ton of creative people out there doing amazing things – maybe even touching or impacting you – and they have no idea whether they are reaching anyone with their work.

Tell them.

The truth is that most creative people don’t get meaningful feedback.

Hugh Macleod’s first rule of how to be creative is probably right: Ignore everyone. To be creative, you do need to ignore everyone – at least what they are telling you to do. Instead, we have to listen to that still, quiet voice to direct what we create.

But it means the world to those who create when someone says,

Wow, I was really touched by the video you put together. The way you drew me in and set that scene up and then reworked it with a complete twist. Man, that hit me hard!

or

Wow, you know what? The sound in [some venue] yesterday was really good. Normally I cannot hear what the electric guitar is doing, but you took the time to make sure all the instruments on the stage were heard. Good job!

or

Whoa! That presentation was excellent! I saw the violin sitting there behind you as you spoke, but had no idea why it was there. Then, at just the right point, you introduce this incredible musician who plays an amazing piece that absolutely drives your point home. That was incredibly powerful!

or

You know what? That graphic you created to represent the cleansing power of water really moved me. It fit so well with all the other visual elements.

Giving specifics shows you really paid attention. Telling them shows you cared enough to write/say something. Telling them something good encourages them to do more.

And creating more is what creative people live for.

When you see something good, tell them. And be specific.

Spread the love.

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I delivered a document to a large global client late last night. Then I worried. “What if they think I’m nuts?” “What if they don’t agree with the approach I took?”

Basically, I was going to worry about it until I heard some feedback.

Finally, around mid-day today, I got the word – key people were really impressed with the thought process in the document.

I could breathe a sigh of relief.

And, it made me feel good. I did something that people liked. It made me want to do more things that people like.

Ken Blanchard of The One Minute Manager fame talked about this a bit in a lecture I attended a year or so ago. He used the example of how experts train killer whales like Shamu. He said, “Do you think they beat up a whale when it doesn’t do what he’s supposed to? No, they catch the whale performing the desired action and they reward it.”

His whole message was on catching people doing something good.

It’s an interesting managerial approach and an even more interesting approach to raising our kids. It’s easy to get caught up in the “don’t do that, don’t say that, stop that, etc.” We jump into action when something annoys us enough to want it to stop.

But when we see good, we often let it slide – or simply don’t notice. It’s making our life easy, so, no need to comment. We simply do nothing – mind our own business and enjoy the peace.

But that’s so wrong!

It’s when our kids are doing good that we need to spring into action. We need to show them how much we love it when they listen, share, resolve conflicts with their siblings, exhibit good sportsmanship, or treat friends in a loving manner.

When we reward their good behavior, they taste the fruits of their labor. And they like it.

Give it a try. Catch your kids doing something good. Reward them somehow – if only some brief words of praise. See what happens. I think you’ll be surprised.

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